Ear-tinning machine



W. E. BURNS.

EAR TINNING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 12, 1920.

1,417,448. Patented y 23, 1922.

6;, ATTORNEYS VTILFORD EQB'URNS, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALTFORNIA, ASSIGNOR TO M- J'. BRANDEN- STEIN & (30., OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, A FIRM COMPOSE D 011 MAX. J. BRANDENSTEIN', MANFBED BRANDENSTEIN, AND EDWARD BRANDENSTEIN.

EAR-TINNING IMACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 23, 1922.

Application 'filed June 12, 1920. Serial No. 388,526.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILroRo E. BURNS, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city and county of San Francisco and State of California, haveinvented a new and useful Ear-Tinning Machine, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to devices for tinning articles.

In the manufacture of cans and pails having wire bails, the ears, in which the ends of the bail hook, are soldered to the body of the vessel, usually while the body is still in the flat sheet form. In order to perform this operation most efficiently, it is desirable first to tin the cars, so that they may be readily sweated into place 011 the blank. It is the chief object of my present invention to provide a machine for the rapid and thorough tinning of the ears.

The invention has other features of advantage, some of which, with the foregoing, will be set forth in the following description of the preferred form of my invention which is illustrated in the drawings accompanying and forming part of the specification. It is to be understood that I do not limit myself to the showing made by the said drawings and description, as I may adopt variations of the preferred form within the scope of my invention as set forth in the claims.

Referring to the drawings,

Figure 1 is a side elevation of my ear tinning machine. Fig. 2 is an end elevation, portions of the machine being broken away better to disclose the construction.

The machine of my invention comprises a frame formed of vertical members 2+and 3 and horizontal members at suitably secured together Suitably journaled in bearings 6 on the frame, is a carrier wheel 7 on the shaft of which is the worm wheel 8, driven by worm 9 on the shaft 11. The shaft is rotated by the pulley 12 driven by belt from any suitable source of power. Spaced at in.- tervals about the rim of the wheel are conical points 13 of such a size that cars 14 may be thrust thereon by the fingers of the operator, the point frictionally engaging in the aperture in the ear, but with the light pressure exerted by the operatorsfingers, not seating against the rim of the wheel. Preferably the points are formed as conical studs on the ends of screws 16 threaded into the rim from the inside and secured therein by locking nuts 17. Fixed on the frame is a plate 18 upturned at the end into a seating bar 19 which is curved concentrically with the wheel and is spaced such a distance therefrom that cars placed on the pins are carried by the rotation of the wheel, under the seating bar and pushed thereby firmly onto the pins, seating the ears on the periphery of the wheel in a line concentric with the center thereof. The upper end of the seating bar is curved outwardly, as shown, to insure engagement with every car, and to effect a gradual movement of the ears to the base of the pins. Thus the ears are frictionally held on the wheel and are retained thereon until forcibly removed.

Arranged on the frame below the wheel is a basin or tank 21 for containing solder 22, which is kept in the proper condition by the flames of gas burners 23 arranged below the tank. The height of the tank is adjusted by screws 24 so that as the ears are carried around by the wheel their flanged edges pass through the solder bath and are tinned. Means are provided for applying flux to the ears before they reach the solder. Mounted on the bracket 25 is a stud on which a wheel 26 freely rotates. The periphery of the wheel is provided with a felt layer 27 against which the ears on thecarrier wheel roll. The felt is kept saturated by drops of flux falling thereon from the pipe 28 connected to the flux reservoir 29 mounted on the plate 18. Thus, as the ears are carried toward the solder bath, each one is rolled over the fluxsaturat-ed felt rim of the flux wheel.

Means are provided for forcibly lifting the cars from the pins, after the solder has cooled, and allowing them to fall into a suit able receptacle. Toward the upper portion of the wheel, as far as possible away from the solder bath, a thin plate 31 is arranged substantially tangent to the surface of the wheel, but spaced far enough away to clear it. A slot 82, slightly wider than the diameter of the body of the ear, is formed in the plate and is widened out at the lower end, so that as the wheel revolves the flanged end of each ear passes through the widened portion. The edges bounding the slot then lie under the flange, and between it and the rim of the wheel, so that as the wheel continues to turn past the point of substantial tangency, the ear is driven along the slot and gradually. detached from the pin. About the time the ear frees itself from the pin, it encounters the inclined lip 33, being forced upwardly thereon, and out of the slot, by the succeeding ears. Buckling of the train of ears in the slot is prevented by the guide plate 34 overlying the slot and spaced closely thereto. As the ears reach the end of the slot and emerge from under the guide plate they slide down the plate 31, which is housed in by side walls 36 and cover plate 37, into a chute 38, from which they drop into a suitable receptacle.

As a matter of convenience to the operator, ears to be tinned are kept in a box 39 resting on brackets arranged on the-frame. From time to time a filled box is substituted for the empty one.

I claim:

1. An ear tinning machine comprising a wheel, means for retaining ears on said wheel, a solder bath, means for rotating said wheel to pass the ears therethrough, and a slotted plate for detaching the tinned ears from the wheel.

2. An ear tinning machine comprising a wheel, means for retaining ears on said wheel, means for applying flux to saidears, a solder bath, means for rotating said wheel to pass the ears therethrough, and a slotted plate for detaching the tinned ears from the wheel.

'3. An ear tinning machine comprising a wheel, means for retaining ears on said wheel, a plate having parallel spaced edges adjacent the wheel for engaging under the ears during rotation of the wheel to detach the ears therefrom, and an inclined lip between said edges for freeing theears from said parallel edges.

l. An ear tinning machine comprising a wheel, means for retaining ears on said wheel, a plate having parallel spaced edges adjacent the wheel for engaging under the ears during rotation of the wheel to detach the ears therefrom, an inclined lip between said edges for freeing the ears from said parallel edges, and a guide plate over said parallel edges for keeping the ears therebetween before reaching said lip.

5. An ear tinning machine comprising a wheel, conical points on said wheel upon which the ears are placed, means adjacent the wheel for firmly seating the ears on said points, a solder bath, means for revolving the wheel to pass the ears through said bath,,and means for detaching thetinned ears.

' 6. An ear tinning machine comprising a wheel, means on the wheel for fractionally retaining ears thereon, means for firmly seating the ears on the wheel in a line concentric with the axis of rotation thereof, means for applying flux to said cars, a solder bath, means for revolving the wheel to pass the ears through said bath, and means for detaching the tinned ears.

7. An ear tinning machine comprising a wheel, means on the wheel for frictionally retaining ears thereon, means for firmly seating the ears on the wheel in a line concentric with the axis of rotation thereof, means for applying flux to said cars, a solder bath, means for revolving thewheel to pass the ears through said bath, and means operative by rotation of said wheel for detaching the ears therefrom.

8. An ear tinning machine comprising a wheel, means on'the wheel for frictionally retaining ears thereon, means for firmly seating the ears on the wheel in a line concentric with the axis of rotation thereof, means for applying flux to said ears, a solder bath, means for revolvingthe wheel to pass the ears through said bath, anda plate having parallel spaced edges adjacent the wheel for engaging under the ears during rotation of the wheel to detach the ears 7 therefrom. V

9. An ear tinning machine comprising a wheel, means on the wheel for frictionally retaining ears thereon, means for firmly seating the ears on the wheel in a'line concentric with the axis of rotation thereof, means for applying flux to said ears, a solder bath, means for revolving the wheel to pass the ears through said bath, a plate having parallel spaced edges adjacentthe wheel for engaging under the ears during rotation of the wheel to detach the ears therefrom, and an inclined lip'between said edges for freeing the ears from said arallel edges.

10. An ear tinning machine comprising a wheel, means on the wheel for frictionally retaining ears thereon, -means for firmly seating the ears on the wheel in a line concentric with the axis of rotation thereof, means-for applying flux to said ears, a solder bath, meansfor revolving the wheel to pass the ears through said bath, a plate having parallelspaced edges adjacent the;

wheel for engaging under the ears during rotation of the wheel to detach the ears therefrom, an inclined lip between said edges for freeing the cars from said parallel edges, and a guide plate over saidparallcl edges for keeping the ears therebetween be retaining said solder in molten condition, means for revolving the wheel to pass the ears through said bath, a plate having parallel spaced edges adjacent the Wheel 5 for engaging under the ears during rotation of the Wheel to detach the ears therefrom, an inclined lip between said edges for freeing the ears from said parallel edges and a guide plate over said parallel edges for keeping the ears therebetween before reaching said lip.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

"WILFORD E. BURNS. 

